


For You, My Heart

by demon_dream



Category: Magi: The Labyrinth of Magic
Genre: Alibaba goes to live in Mauritania to learn about the Fanalis, Alibaba's body is not ready, Blood, Courtship Gifts, Culture Shock, F/M, Gen, Hunting, Morgiana is trying, Nudity, Political Marriage, Princess Morgiana AU, Sharrkan is laughing, Shenanigans, The Dark Contitent Never Fell AU, This Is Why We Can't Have Nice Things, courting, fragment of a larger work, life in a foreign land, minor gore, when the cat leaves a dead bird on your doorstep
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-09-10
Updated: 2018-09-10
Packaged: 2019-07-10 16:43:11
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 835
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15953396
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/demon_dream/pseuds/demon_dream
Summary: The idea was simple. To learn about someone, go see what they're like at home. As the third son of Balbadd, Alibaba expected nothing less than to be married off for political gain.He wasn't expecting the royal household of Mauritania to make the first move.The Fanalis are completely unlike any people he's ever met, and their heiress Morgiana Amenukal is a delicate, barefoot, pale-skinned force of nature in line to command a tribe hailed the world over for their brutality.Somewhere between the confusion and the culture shock, spending a year as an honored guest of the Amenukal clan sounded like a great idea.This is an excerpt from the chaos that follows.





	For You, My Heart

**Author's Note:**

> In this, we have a staple of any courtship: proving you can provide for your loved one. In the modern world, we might bake a cake for our object of affection.
> 
> The Fanalis are a bit more straightforward.
> 
> Morgiana and her entourage leave on a hunting trip while a golden-haired prince waits nervously for her return.

   Alibaba had the sneaking suspicion that royal hunts in Mauritania were very, very different from royal hunts in Balbadd. Granted, this was a ritual event that had something to do with prosperity, ancestor spirits and war magic, but there was a bit too much nakedness for anything like the frilly horseback processions back home.

  
***

  
   When Morgiana returned at the head of the pack, blood absolutely coated her arms, legs, and lower face, rivulets painting stripes down her chest and body flecked with gore. Her hair was a mess, and desert dust clung to her like a second skin. Her entourage was little better, Mahtab's collarbone drenched in a spray of violence and Shirzad spinning an actual spine in his hand with a smug baring of teeth. Firuzeh's torso was liberally flecked with blood, palms wet with it, while tiny Mojgan looked like she'd been dipped headfirst into a bloodbath.

  
   It was _completely reasonable_ for Alibaba to turn stunned eyes to the visiting prince of Heliohapt and whisper-shriek, "What the hell did they do out there, kill a herd of antelope barehanded?!"

  
   The man grinned, though that may have had something to do with the snake-bedecked cupbearer woman seated by his throne. "You're surprised?"

  
   "...you're not serious."

  
   The man took a long sip of his wine, sparkling green eyes fixed on Alibaba's. The laughter was palpable.

  
   Oh my dick you are. Alibaba turned back to the courtyard to see Morgiana hefting what was probably a heart free of a skin tarp, though it was the size of his luggage chest. The pattern on the skin looked suspiciously stripe-y.

  
   Sharrkan started giggling. It was muffled at first, but unmistakable once he set his cup aside and rocked forward to snicker into his hand, swallowing hard. By this point thoroughly confused and a little desperate for sanity, Alibaba sat back and sighed to the burning blue sky.

  
   There was a thud, and a shadow crossed his legs. Looking up to gripe at the white-haired idiot, he promptly choked on his tongue when he spotted Morgiana in all her brilliant bloodstained glory crouching on the edge of the patio. Up close he could smell the copper, hot sand and the wild hint of savannah grasses as the wind caught blood-clumped vermillion locks. Her eyes caught him by the throat as always, like a glimpse into the belly of a volcano.

  
   She was smiling. Not quite a baring of teeth, a bit shy, but her infectious happiness was straining at the tethers of her hesitation. And there on the ground between them in pride of place on a freshly stripped pelt was that improbably massive heart. She nodded to it, a short little bob, and murmured, "It's for you. I killed it."

  
   He opened his mouth, and nothing came out. Blinked quickly. Made an aborted gesture, tried to say something and managed an inquisitive sort of croak. Beside him, Sharrkan hid his expression in his wine, shoulders shaking.

  
   Morgiana's smile dropped a bit, and she cocked her head. "Do you... not like it?"

  
   "I. Well." Speak, damn you! "This is probably the most impressive gift I've ever gotten, Lady Morgiana. What did you kill to get a heart this big?!"

  
   "A squat-nosed bear." She shrugged. "Across the grasslands at the foot of the Great Ridge you can find some, and they're the largest predators this side of the Valley of Death. I wanted...." Her face colored, and her eyes dipped aside. "...to show you. Since you couldn't come."

  
   "I'm seeing it. I'm trying to imagine how big the bear was. It's. How'd you guys kill it?"

  
   Sharrkan spluttered, and that was his only warning before sharp red eyes pinned him in place, Morgiana's cheeks puffing in a slight frown as her brow creased. Damn his ignorance, what was it this time? "...what?"

  
   "I killed it." She repeated lowly, deliberately careful like when they'd first struggled with accents.

  
   "You..." His gaze travelled from her, tinier than himself, to the heart half his size. Glanced up again. "Oh."

  
   "Oh," Sharrkan mocked, and Alibaba glared.

  
   "Then I have to say you're probably the most impressive warrior I've ever met. This is.... extremely awe-inspiring. I'd never imagined bears this big existed. That fight must have been epic, Morgiana. I... just, wow." He gestured at it. "Amazing. What should I do with it, though?"

  
   Mollified, she gave him a strange look, still crouched like a monkey from hell on the ledge. "Eat it."

  
   "Raw." Sharrkan whispered helpfully. "It's heart, you'll be fine."

  
   "Ah." Again, heart the size of his luggage. Raw heart. A massive raw heart ripped from the chest of a terrifyingly large predator just for him, by a cute girl. He would rather have a moment to process this.

  
_International scandal_ , whispered a voice that sounded like his politics tutor. _You_ _can't_ _refuse_.

  
_It's_ _a_ _present_ _from_ _Morgiana_ , whispered the part of him that wasn't flailing at the slight blush on her gore-streaked cheeks.

  
_Why_ _me_ , _by_ _all_ _the_ _gods_ _above_ _and_ _below_.


End file.
